Hitchcock's Villians

by Fr. John Granato  |  11/12/2023  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

I recently re-watched Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Lifeboat. It is a story by John Steinbeck, (who did publicly distance himself from the film and denounced Hitchcock’s treatment of the material), and it concerns nine survivors of an American/German battle. Eight of the survivors are American and British civilians and service members while the ninth man is a German who was brought aboard on the lifeboat by the other eight. The whole movie is filmed on the lifeboat.

Tensions rise because no one knows where they are going adrift on the sea, except for the German, who pretends that he does not understand English and communicates with a woman who speaks German. He claims he is a cook on the now sunk German submarine, which is not true; he in fact is the captain.

As is usual for Hitchcock, he creates a suspenseful tension throughout the movie where life and death are at the epicenter. Hitchcock directed this movie in 1944 at the height of World War II, and many of the criticisms at that time were that the German captain was coming across as sympathetic. Hitchcock’s response was simply, “I always respect my villain, building him into a redoubtable character that will make my hero or thesis more admirable in defeating him or it.”

As anyone who has watched multiple Alfred Hitchcock movies can attest, there are many wonderful villains in his movies. One of my favorites is James Mason in the movie North by Northwest. Alfred Hitchcock is a master of suspense and a master with the camera. His movies through the years received 46 Oscar nominations (back when the Oscars meant something), and he received five nominations for best director, although he never won. All five movies are excellent Hitchcock movies; Rebecca, the aforementioned Lifeboat, Spellbound, Rear Window and Psycho.